Explore Cusco’s Sacred Valley of the Incas on this full-day excursion.
Beginning in the city of Cusco, this full-day tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas includes visits to the remarkable Inca sites of Pisaq, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero, with plenty of time to enjoy and photograph the spectacular scenery of the Sacred Valley and surrounding peaks. You will be escorted by an experienced and knowledgeable guide as you walk the narrow streets of the Inca village of Ollantaytambo and wander through the handcraft market in the village square at Pisaq.
Leaving behind the city of Cusco, our bus will take us to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. After crossing the high plains, the road descends towards the picturesque valley town of Pisac (Pisaq in quechua language), on the banks of the sacred Urubamba River.
Every Sunday, Thursday and Tuesday, the sleepy town of Pisac comes alive when indigenous Quechua communities from the surrounding highlands come to Pisac to sell their produce and stock up on supplies for the week.
The Pisaq typical market of souvenirs (that is performed in a daily basis) is one of the most famous markets in the Cusco region. A large section of the market is dedicated to tourist-oriented souvenir stalls where you can find weavings, alpaca products, ponchos, ceramics, jewelry, hats, Andean instruments and a whole range of other gifts and souvenirs to take home with you. The handcraft market is open every day from 9 am to 4.30 pm and is a good place to pick up some gifts all in the one place.
Later we will drive to the quiet town of Urubamba for lunch.
After an excellent meal in Urubamba, it will be time to make the 30-minute drive through the Sacred Valley to the village of Ollantaytambo. Here, where the Sacred Valley narrows, the Incas created a major ceremonial and administrative center around a massive temple that was dedicated to their pantheon of gods. It is common to see local people wandering the streets of Ollantaytambo in their typical dress, largely unchanged for more than four hundred years.
After visiting the village and temple of Ollantaytambo, it will be time to visit Chinchero on route to Cusco.
Chinchero is a typical village, located on the patchwork of Andean crops which is the plain of Chinchero, at an altitude of 3,762 meters / 12,342 feet. The native Indian market is open on Sundays, when local people wearing the traditional dress of their respective communities, often unchanged since the 17th century, come from outlying villages to trade their goods. Aside from Sunday there is a daily market traders offer handcrafts, including textiles and jewelry, alpaca products, ponchos, ceramics, etc.
The village is also an important archaeological site. One side of the main square is bordered by a massive stone Inca wall featuring a series of niches, and beyond the village several outlying constructions and the remains of Inca terracing can also be visited. The Inca remains of Chinchero are attributed to the reign of Inca Tupac Yupanqui, the son of Pachacuteq, who may have used the village as a kind of country retreat.
Return to Cusco, where you will be escorted to your hotel.
Traveling distance: 189 kilometers by car/ 117 miles (round trip)
Traveling – visiting time: 9 hours
Altitudes:
- Cusco 3,400 meters / 11,159 feet.
- Pisaq market 2,972 meters / 9,750 feet.
- Ollantaytambo 2,792 meters / 9,160 feet.
- Chinchero 3,762 meters / 12,342 feet